Exploring the Green
Posted by: Bekons (10/11/2018) * Any Rank **Exploring the White (Winter) Description "The tower is still out there. Come back any time, you've gotten further then anyone else i've hired." A letter by Major Bradley. Journals Thom Tanks (10/13/2018) Mission Briefing: Tasked with finding lumberjack (Tommy) and several guard that had yet to return to the town of Lundy. Tommy (a level-headed man by reputation) claimed to have seen a floating tower in the woods (not discovered) which set all of this into action. When approaching the town of Lundy, the hoods received critical information from town mayor (Bradley) and set off into the woods. Within the woods, the hoods received further directions from a group of lumberjacks that led to the eventual recovery of Tommy and the guards, which were all returned safely to Lundy. Items of note: The woods nearest Lundy have both common wolves and dire wolves. The locals also spoke of orcs in the forest, though this was not confirmed. The hoods encountered a tiny black creature (not identified) that seemed to dart into and out of trees and stones. After saving said creature from dire wolves, it marked one of the hoods with a seemingly harmless star. The town of Lundy has a fish festival this time of year and hoods in the area should take special precautions as to the safety of their coin pouches. - Thom Tanks (E) Thom Tanks (10/24/2018) - - - Mission Debriefing - - - Following a letter from one Mayor Bradley, a party was assembled and we set out for the town of Lundy. (personal note – i’ve personally known this town to be riddled with thieves and greedy merchants) We met the Mayor Bradley in the tavern, where he was previously encountered and touched base with both the Mayor and a number of other locals familiar to us. Through them we’ve pieced together a number of potential threats in unmapped parts of the surrounding forest. (personal note – I suspect the mayor may be hiding more than he’s providing, intel-wise) The team put together a work-in-progress map (see attached) of the threats and their supposed locations. NB none of this map should be considered accurate to a ‘T’, however as future intel surfaces, the hoods involved would do well to update said map. During our time in the town, some unfortunate decisions were made resulting in a rather unprofessional scene, however due to cunning thinking and team work – the matter was resolved peacefully and with minimal negative repercussions (further details may be discussed with a CO if requested). (personal note – it should be noted that the town has a surprisingly high level of security) Following up on an earlier encounter in Lundy (see report regarding the rescue of Timmy and the guards), the team dropped by the residence of Timmy (the only known person to have seen the mysterious floating tower) and learned of the location of Timmy and his lumberjack group. Thus we set into the forest. An important note for any hoods that explore these woods: the forest is largely unmapped, it’s easy to lose the trial, and there are a great many dangers lurking about. Caution is advised. Having found Timmy and the lumberjack group and gathering / recording more intel, we moved deeper into the wood. There we encountered a group of goblins, perhaps making camp. Unfortunately the encounter didn’t play out as planned and number of unnecessary goblin casualties occurred. I will personally take greater measures to see that such events occur less frequently moving forward. (personal note – we may or may not have lost one of our ranks. The details surrounding this are rather mysterious, there was word of a bear attack, but I can neither confirm nor deny if anything is true as I was not personally witness such an event nor can I recall having an extra hood with us. As previously stated ‘rather mysterious’, however it had little to no impact on our mission) Even deeper still into the woods, we came across odd flying ‘creatures’ (?) that were mischievous, but not threatening. Thanks to the the quick thinking and level headed approach of the team, there was no bloodshed and the mischievous, things(?), parted ways with us. It was about this time that we made our way back to town and back to safety. It should be noted that this job is far from over as there is still a great percentage of the forest yet to be mapped. - Thom Tanks Thom Tanks (10/26/2018) - - - Mission Debriefing - - - The hoods were dispatched to the city of Lundy once again, tasked with learning more about the forest surrounding the city. This made my 3rd trip to the city in recent memory. (see previous report for my evaluation of the city) Shortly after turning into the forest from the road just NW of Lundy, we encountered a group of orcs. I falsely assumed it was a hunting party as they were taking down a deer. Previously I’ve documented reports of orcs attacking people in these woods and ordered the troops to take position and attack with an element of surprise. However the orc party in question was not a hunting party, as several more of them joined their ranks. Some clad in plate armor. During the course of the fight, when it became clear that we would be victorious, the remaining orcs cried out and retreated. Thankfully one of our hoods, a trusted comrade named Mau, speaks Orcish and explained that they were going to return with reinforcements. Given the immediate proximity to the city of Lundy, the significant threat presented by the orcs, the city’s questionable leadership and their seemingly alcoholic guard, I made a decision. I ordered the men to collect proof of the encounter (details may be discussed in person with the presence of a commanding officer) and run back to the road, covering our tracks as we did. This was all done as fast as possible, and our haste paid off as we got onto the road, we saw in the distance behind us, a horde of orcs moving toward the scene of the skirmish. The orcs were moving from the north. A personal note: When first I saw the orcs, I saw only 3 of them, and again I was faced with making a difficult decision without the time to consider all the factors at play. At that moment our party was tapped for resources, injured and in need of rest. Putting the safety of the team first, I ordered the team to carry on down the road with the proof and alert the mayor of the threat. I elected to stay behind on the road to delay the orcs as much as possible. My trusted comrade Mau, refused this order and stayed at my side. I fully believed at that moment, it was going to be our last stand. It was about this time, that we saw the bulk of the horde and in fact none of them were paying us (nor any other traveler on the road) any mind. The team then continued on to the town of Lundy, stopping only at the edge of the forest to bring a familiar noncombatant, Timmy’s brother (name unknown) with us to the city and out of harms way. As we approached the tavern, the front guards let it be known that there was previously some kind of agreement between the city and the orcs, and I had broken whatever agreement they may have been had. I ordered the team to keep a low profile and return to the guild when they could safely do so. I was prepared to take full responsibility for all the actions that had led up to that moment. The team followed their command, all apart from one – Mau. He refused to leave my side, despite my ordering him otherwise. Let it also be known that many of my assumptions surrounding Lundy were quite wrong. It was during this meeting with the mayor that I learned some critical intel. Firstly, the city guard that I regularly saw as drunkards were in fact fine soldiers (in red garb) that command great respect, as the mayor explained they will handle the orcish horde should they come to the city. Secondly, the mayor himself is not the overworked skeptic he once seemed to be. Quite the contrary. He and I had a very blunt discussion regarding the orcs (see below) and the reasons behind hiring the blue hoods (see floating tower details below). The relationship now between the blue hoods and the mayor is one of honesty and full transparency. This is an important relationship to maintain. - - The Orcs - - Apparently, there was an unspoken agreement between the townsfolk and the orcs. One of peace and a mutual understanding that neither of the 2 parties would disturb one another. However, our first skirmish with the orcs proved not to be our last. The orcs are organized and capable of mobilizing a large number of troops in a short time. Moreover, the orders I gave leading to our first battle with them came with a price, as these orcs seem to be fixed on hunting us down. I suspect anyone wearing a blue hood in these forests would be a target. These orcs are vicious and not to be underestimated. They were witnessed fighting to the point of exhaustion and determined to get revenge. Mau translated one phrase spoken by an orc as it killed our already downed ally. The phrase was “Blood for blood”. As regards our downed ally. Yes, Tuy was killed by the orcs when they continued striking him after he had lost consciousness. However, thanks to the quick thinking, and carefully planning of the team, we were able to rush Tuy back to the guild in a condition such that he could be revived. Also of note: the orcs have within their ranks, dire wolves goblins, and spell casters. Caution is strongly advised. - - The Floating Tower - - The mayor explained the real reason he’s continuing to employ the blue hoods. He believes that the floating tower (previously witnessed by a lumberjack named Timmy, detailed in a prior report) is real and it’s location is very valuable. After sending all the experts in the area in to investigate it, the only thing he’s learned thus far, is that it’s hidden by magic. Finding this tower is a priority. - - Notes of Interest - - We detailed new information on our map (see attached). Presently we have more locations of interest within the town (given by the mayor himself), and locations of potential orc territory. Thom Tanks Thom Tanks (11/05/2018) - - - mission debriefing - - - We made our way to Lundy, skirting the forest and avoiding the fields as best we could. Once in the forest, we encountered a group of orcs. We defeated most, but one got away. Note well, that several of the orcs had one of their ears missing, and made calls to an orc god called Bagtrue. (This intel came from goblins detailed below) After the encounter with the orcs, we had trouble navigating the forest, but stumbled into a friendly goblin camp. Mau and I helped them to build a wall in exchange for help finding the floating tower. During the building process, we learned that the goblins had friendly relations with the orcs and we learned of the orcish god Bagtrue. We learned that once Bagtrue is offended (see previous job journals detailing orc horde problems) then the only means of finding peace would need to be settled in combat with his champion (an orc with great tusks). The goblins needed the wall for their camp (location annotated on the map attached) to defend against bugbears and a large wolf with white fur. The goblin leader had, thanks largely to Ishan and Calypso’s quick thinking, pointed us to a shifty goblin type creature with a pink hat called Jlad. With the troop led in part by Jlad, which, for a time, I personally was absolutely taken with. I’m still haunted with the greatness of Jlad. In time, Jlad brought us south until we came onto 3 large clay beasts carrying trees. Jlad snatched Ishan’s mirror then vanished into the forests. We then followed the clay beasts further south at a safe distance into a clearing. The clearing caused Calypso’s magic detection to have problems and we watched as the clay beasts walked into an archway and disappeared. There were some issues among us trying to decide how the arch actually appeared, but eventually it was decided to have the team leader be tied off by a rope and try to walk through the arch. Unfortunately, as I walked into the archway, it felt as though I walked into a solid wall, which started combat with 2 very large stone statues. Combat was brief and efficient, thanks to Candle’s amazing stunning attacks and Neith and Calypso providing magical benefits to our melee fighters. To my best knowledge, combat was through in about 12 seconds. It should be noted that the team worked together very well and were of the same mind and strategy. I would be mistaken if I didn’t recommend merits for Ishan, Neith, Mau, Candle and Calypso. Rarely have I seen such teamwork. Having bested the statue guards and walking into a room of sorts past the archway, the room around the party seemed to shift and we found ourselves elsewhere. Things were rather confusing for a time. There was a face with a lion’s mane. Eventually we saw a mighty creature. I can only describe it as a magnificent lion with wings and a voice akin to my father’s. This was equally comforting and terrifying. The winged lion went on to describe a number of interesting points. Namely that it was aware of Major’s Bradley’s efforts, we were on the astral plane (very pink world with large fish beasts flying in the air), it served the gods and protected something which was not on the premises. He went on to say that he was impressed by our actions leading to this meeting and gave us a job. The job: In the forest, far from the archway, there is a city in ruins, which is the resting place for what once was a very power (continent sacrificing) necromancer. In life, the necromancer was erratic and eventually lost his power. In death it is a lich and it possesses an evil relic (a book). If we bring the book back to the winged lion, it will give us the unknown item it currently protects and instead protect this book. It should be noted that any hoods that attempt to enter the archway as we had will face the same type of giant stone guards, however a person which is balanced and neutral can pass through the archway without conflict. After finishing our meeting with the winged lion, the world around us shifted again, and we appeared in front of the guild hall. - Thom Tanks Neith (11/09/2018) Using the intelligence gathered from previous missions, a crew of senior Blue Hoods were gathered to once more explore the wilderness near the town of Lundy. Our objective was clear, seek out the local Orc tribe to make amends for the acts of our brethren that had committed during their expeditions. Once we were perhaps half way to the town itself, we decided to cut across the untamed wilderness. Unexpectedly we ran upon a horde of undead, quickly setting ourselves into position, the party’s Mages Rosheye and myself unleashed our terrifying magic upon them, casting fire balls consecutively – weakening the pack of undead for our fighters and monk to break them down. One on horse back attempted to escape but we were able to track him down and end the monster’s life before it had the chance to run. Upon further exploration we stumbled upon a pack of wolves while attempting to sneak past them, however we were caught. Luckily diplomacy won out and we were able to negotiate safe passage to find the Orc Tribe. Unfortunately for us were soon jumped by bugbears, even though the battle was prolonged, we were able to defeat the beasts. Luckily for us our friendly nilbog, Jald found us once again. Wishing only to posses another mirror, we were able to convince him to bring us to Orcs. However, the situation went sideways as Damascus decided not to fight their Orc challenger, Ig. Instead he demanded to face in one on one combat the Orcs Chieftain in a bid for control over the entire tribe. This was not sanction by me, the party’s chosen leader, nor any other higher-ranking members of the Blue Hoods. We were all caught off guard by his recklessness and abandonment for the chain of command. Damascus fought valiantly but was ultimately defeated. While the conflict between the Orc Tribe and the Blue Hoods as been put to rest, unfortunately Damascus lost his freedom and is now indentured to the Chieftain and his tribe. - Neith. Roshini (11/09/2018) The penmanship is meticulous in its crafting A sunny day with clear skies surrounded the forest. Not in the least bit interesting. Trailing through the forest our party came across a band of mercenaries with one common objective, to explore the green. After relaying our info and being compensated we headed further into the forest, towards the goblin camp . Heading further in we found a couple trolls huddled by a nearby fire, that was when our path of destiny was altered, it was most interesting indeed. With little effort we dispatched the trolls, as well as one whom was drawn by the commotion, unfortunately some of our lower ranks grew tired and requested a rest (It seems that they were unprepared for the dangers that lurk within our ranks). Not realising the dangers of resting in an open area caused our group to be surrounded by ghouls and some unique flowers that spewed undead. The nature of these creatures must have struck fear into the heart of the lower rank, she spent her time dodging and evading the dangers of the unknown. Meanwhile, the rest of the group tried our best to snap her to reality as we fled the scene. Unfortunately our group got seperated in the process, eventually reconvening amidst the battle between said undead and a group of Hobgoblins. We managed to make our way back to Lundy and slept until dayrise. We decided to give the forest one more fair before returning back to the Blue Hoods; that was our oversight. A thunderous storm and heavy rain now engulfed the forest. Along the way we encountered Jald, who seemed excited to receive another mirror, tossing the one he held previously aside. It was probably the only joyous sight from an otherwise non-joyous mission. Our trails eventually led to a river, where we found several Hobgoblins escorting their enslaved Goblins across a bridge. We had tasked Candle with gathered intel and relaying the information; as he was in the process on doing so his cover was blown and, to our surprise, he immediately sprang into action. Seeing her beloved in the midst of battle Oma changed form and pounced on the enemies, inevitably falling from battle. These Hobgoblins possessed some rather unique abilities, they were able to teleport right in front of us and got the drop on Varix, who was taken away. After Candle and Tuy managed to stabilise Oma, Candle ran ahead to intercept Varix, giving me enough time to heal her so that she could misty step away. Their attacks were very powerful though, with only a couple strikes of their whips Candle fell and was taken away. The rest of the group managed to force the remaining Hobgoblins to retreat, it was not enough though. Too much time had passed, and Candles was fading further away, into the depths of the unknown. We had failed. It is with light head and heavy mind that I write this journal, hopefing future Hoods are able to achieve what we could not. In the bottom right-hand corner of the journal are four small diamonds forming a larger one. In each diamond are the insignias for: Salamander, Gnome, Undine and, Slyph Thom Tanks (11/20/2018) We made our preparations and laid out a tentative plan at the guild before making our way toward the town of Lundy. There was a very foul stench on the road north of Lundy. Once having entered for the forest, we came across a great many Kobolds putting food into a pond. Their behavior was unusual and very ceremonious. Soon thereafter, we came across a cart that seemed to have been sitting idly in the forest for a long time. As we approached, an aging woman identified herself as Madam Eve and asked us to handle some trolls and in return, she would reward us. This turned out to be a trick, because after the trolls were dispatched (thanks especially to Nee and Ahn’s supportive spell casting as well as Adrik and Torkan’s melee attacks), Madam Eve turned out to be some kind of manipulative, gaseous creature that tempted us with riches then kicked us out of her seemingly magical cart. This greatly upset Mr Korkan. Admittedly, I too was upset, and had conditions been different, I would have happily engaged the beast in combat. Finally, we reached the friendly Goblin camp and presented Chief Ger with a gift I had prepared earlier. With the help of Ger’s scout were started to make our way toward a fight with the undead, however we came across a number of hobgoblin slavers near what I believe to have been the SE side of the ruins (still yet to be explored). The encounter was brief, one escaped and one was captured. The captured hobgoblin told us what he could, however nothing was of substantial value. The treatment the goblin had to endure was questionable, and left me with a sense of regret. On the road back to the friendly goblin camp, we met another party of hired mercenaries led by “Jimmy”. We exchanged information as we had in the past and carried on in our separate ways. See notes added to the map related to abandoned buildings. Having returned to Chief Ger, we warned him of a likely hobgoblin retaliation and advised that he call in his villagers and prepare for an attack. Mr Torkan was able to find the hobgoblin forces in route thanks to his bird companion and we set out to lay ambush to them. Sadly, as it is often the case, the ambush failed. The party had given away its position before the enemy was in reach. Having lost the advantage, we engaged in combat with the hobgoblin reinforcements and were victorious, despite their spell casters’ best efforts. Special merits should be awarded to Rosheye and Ahn for their work in tipping the scales of battle toward our side. After the battle, we returned to the friendly goblin village to find them in celebration. Our relationship with Chief Ger and his village has proven beneficial, and they were kind enough to help us find our way out of the forest safely. - Thom Tanks Thom Tanks (11/20/2018) - - - Mission Debriefing - - - Having once again made preparations in the guild before setting out toward the town of Lundy, the party set off. Upon reaching the forest, a strangely cloudy sky was seen over the forest and fog on the ground. This is contrary to Varix assuring us that it ought to be sunny. Also on the road we came to a point that reeked of something awful. (near the reported Orc horde base camp) After blaming one another, we continued on our traditional path toward the friendly goblin village, only to find a party of mercenaries waiting for us. Their insignia showed the sign of a crow. Despite Ihsahn and Mau’s effots at diplomacy, battle erupted. They were dead set on taking out our spell casters, however we were able to take down most of them without great effort… apart from one. One of them managed to escape, but not before peppering us with arrows over the course of what felt like hour. It seemed as though that soldier was able to vanish at will. This new presence in the forest only helps to solidify how dangerous the area is, and how critical it is to find allies within these woods. Regarding this skirmish, it should be noted that Roshey, Neith and Varix were very much responsible for tipping the scales of battle into our favor. In time, we made our way closer to the friendly Goblin camp, but found ourselves face to face with the greatest creature I’ve ever seen, the seemingly immortal Jald, who I still feel may in fact be mighty, great, and deserving of praise. Thankfully Ihsahn and Neith came prepared for just such a situation and gave the goblin enough mirrors to effectively lock it in place. With the mighty Jald fixed in position, we all carefully retreated to the Goblin camp. Chief Ger and the villagers greeted us in a friendly manner, I gave him another gift, and he showed us the damage dealt by a giant that was, at that moment, south of the village. Varix busied herself petting a Worg and the party took a break within the confines of the camp. Our troop was then led to the literal Giant and combat soon broke out. Mau, Allia, and Ihsahn did an amazing job pounding the massive beast until finally combat stopped. Whilst Ihsahn was relaxing within a block of ice, we and the giant paid respect to each other for our strength in battle and he lumbered off into the distance. Following the battle with the giant, we returned to the camp to find it in a state of celebration. Varix and several others joined in the celebration and Ger was kind enough to let us sleep in the camp that night. While we were in a protective bubble, courtesty of Rosheye, the others told me about a tiny black creature that had been riding on my back. Fearing another pregnancy, I panicked a bit until it came to rest on Varix’s finger. Unexpectedly, it touched my cheek, and now I have another symbol on my face. Come the morning we set out to find the ruins, aided by a goblin scout only to stumble upon two ghostly figures which fought one another endlessly. Combat with the ghostly warriors broke out quickly and many more ghost-like warriors entered into combat with us. They were also joined by...what I can only describe as a large, black, flying, shell-less turtle-monster with a darkly clad rider. Once the battle had finished, the original 2 spirits expressed a sence of long awaited freedom, and disappeared. And with that, the party who weren’t in pouches and a backpack were flown safely out of the forest. One special note of concern however, we spotted a large green dragon flying over the forest. - Thom Tanks. Thom Tanks (12/13/2018) - - - Mission Debriefing - - - Once again we were tasked with exploring the green and finding the floating tower by Mayor Bradley in the town of Lundy. We made our way to the town and opted to fly over the forest, rather than going in on foot. We saw a large green dragon that had recently been killed, and closer to the archway we saw the remains of clay golems. This was the work of a competing mercenary group, led by “Jimmy” (see previous reports). We met with Jimmy and his team and, after a disagreement, were forced into combat. The fight was long and proved to be difficult. Several of our team were in especially bad shape throughout the encounter. I would be withholding if I said it was our best performance to date, however, in the end, we were victorious. Jimmy himself turned out to be a type of angelic creature with a large, firey sword. After recooping from the fight, we made our way through the familiar archway to meet Aslan. We shared information relating to the lich (see previous report), the book, the Closed Circle (see other reports) and asked Aslan for his help in the matter. He explained that he couldn’t do much to help us, but could do some things. He would bring us to a contact of his in the Realm of Omn that may be of assistance and he seemed to weave some magic on me specifically. Enchanted wind swirled around me, the result of which changed my body. I now appear and feel approximately 20 years younger. As a side note, Aslan also told us that the mayor of Lundy had been ‘banished’. I took this to mean that Mayor Bradley was no longer on the same plane of existence. It should be noted that from this point forward, my recollections of the events are unclear, due to the shock of having my body rejuvenated. Aslan transported himself and our group to the base of a snowy mountain. Mau carved a path through the snow and were greeted by a giant, who after some exchange of intel, explained we were to meet The Great Master Omn. The giant (Omn’s assistant, Dorin), carried us up a massive flight of stairs. We saw a great variety of other giants. Allia was noticeably uncomfortable in the mountain, meanwhile Mau and Ihsahn were as giggle as school lads. Beyond the stairs, we passed Dorin’s workplace that appeared to be more of an armory. The whole of the interior was ornately decorated and finely made. He then dropped amulets for us, stating that they won’t protect us from what’s to come, but they may help us. We came to a gigantic bridge and waves of thunderous heat and noise washed over us as they shook the very ground. In time we game to an entrance that seemed huge, even for giants. We employed well-crafted, mechanical horses to save us from the shaking ground and in time followed the path toward a red light. Dorin explained that we were the first visitors in 700 years. The walls were lined with glorious weapons. One could only dream of yielding such weapons and to my surprise Dorin explained that these were the ‘failures’. From a river of falling magma came the god Omn. His meer breathing caused us unintentional harm. The two giants spoke briefly about our work with Aslan (who Dorin called “Nebos”). Omn agreed that his help was in order and gave us a book and crystal. Dorin detailed that when crystal glows, it is to be broken over a circle drawn in our book, and this would deliver each of us an item to aid in our quest. After exchanging our goodbyes we met with Aslan once again, who transported us back to the guild house.